85°c bakery cafe

red and blue alert!. once in a long moon, it seems, you come across a place that is so wildly successful, that you know without a trace of a doubt is going to be good. 85 degrees bakery cafe is definitely one of those places. if you happen to be in the orange county area, then there is no excuse to venture into this busy bakery. for those who love drinking tea, coffee, etc., this bakery has the selection of pastry, breads, cakes and all in between.
do not be concerned for the lines. i am willing to bet after watching the display of power today, that there always will be a line, that is how brilliantly successful this concept is. i understand that the first of its kind was started in taiwan. well, this one in irvine is the type that draws crowds and more crowds.
we had just finished a mediocre meal in another part of town, and feeling let down and a little upset, i remembered reading about how popular 85 degrees cafe is, and goggled the address, set the gps and in no time i was in a large plaza, where most of the people seem to be oriental. this is a very clean cut area, in a very expensive part of town, so the shops all looked brand new. when we saw the bakery, a line of about 25 people was outside, and inside there were so many they had to stop the line from entering! busy busy bees! once inside you pick up a tray and a tool to lift the goodies into the tray, and you commence the journey of discovery. we ended with about two dozen different creations, the most expensive among the pastries, around $2.50. standing room only, we decided to drive out of there and try everything with a home brewed cup of coffee. did not get to the displays were the delicious cakes (or at least they looked delicious, that is for sure!), but we figure being a saturday and our first time, it was going to have to do. i think the era of donuts is passé, for thesepastrieswere all very fresh-they are constantly replenishing their supplies-and some were downright interesting.
this is one place i would recommend to anyone, just to pick the most appealing creations and hopefully enjoy them in various settings. picnic, watching a movie, with friends at a party, at a hotel room, etc. i was impressed, and it is been a long time i felt this way about a place. filled with people, incredible energy, superior bakers, it sure cheer up our day. next time i shall scope the section where the cakes are, individual slices and whole ones. they did look marvelous (like billy crystal use to say: you look marvelous, darling!). this is a red and blue alert, which is heightened type of alert, well worth pursuing. i easily give it 4.5 stars at this moment, if only for the mad business they generate. like all good things, it might take a little longer than usual, but i saw people walking out with dozens of goodies like if there was no tomorrow. in this case so many people can not be wrong, they are in the right line and i was too. 4.5 stars!

don't let the line scare you it moves super fast and yeah, sure, maybe this stuff is common and better in taiwan. so next time i'm in taiwan, i'll go hog wild but for now i'll be happy for the outing to irvine to scarf these goodies! i lovepastriesand this place rules! the only thing that sucks is that they don't have signs to tell us ignorant white people what's in all of those foreign pastries. we have been 5 or 6 times in the last year since discovering this gem and almost every time we find something new and amazing.

hearing much rave about 85c bakery cafe in irvine, i had to check it out. i have been to my share of asian bakeries, and they are all pretty much the same. besides the degree of quality these bakeries have amongst each other, they all work the same way. you get a tray, pick out the breads andpastriesyou like, and that is it. 85c bakery has so much rave, but its probably like any other bakery, so i thought. skeptical, i was quickly reassured of its greatness by the long lines. when i say "long lines", i mean people are outside the door, waiting in the cold. not wanting to stand in the cold night and cautious about getting sick, we weighed out the pros and cons in the car. after a long and great thought process, and almost turning to go back home, we decided to eat dinner in hopes of a smaller line afterwards. lucky for us, our plan worked! waiting in a considerably shorter line, we were eager to see what the fuss was about. finally entering the bakery and grabbing our trays, peace and

value for money. i had been to this place twice to get cake andpastrieswhich were yummy and very fresh.
few things to remember
- there is a wait
- you should take a look at the display and then stand in the queue to order.
i have never tried the breads as there is a long long wait and never had the time to do that.

in short worth every dollar you spend

not so much. there is a reason that the french are famous forpastriesand the chinese are not. much of what i tasted was very much like big parker house rolls will different toppings. white bread with additions. the "famous" iced coffee with sea salt was a disappointment too. it wasn't that it was bad, just not great. i liked the variety and the vibe--noisy, with patrons loading up trays with tongs like a mexican panaderia. the best item we had was a coconut twist. perhaps there are others. best feature: price--two largepastriesfor $3! choose carefully and avoid the big white buns (not dating advice ;-).

this bakery is to die for. i'm not usually a big fan of "asian"pastriesbut this place is delicious and crowded. there were so many items and people were walking around with trays and boxes of goodies.